India, who are the reigning T20 Champs and 2023 ODI World Cup runners-up, are a team with great batting strength and good all-rounders
Champions Trophy is back. And how? With controversies and issues. First, India refused to play in Pakistan due to security reasons. Remember the terrorist attack on the bus of Sri Lankan cricketers way back in 2009? Due to this deadly incident, international cricket was not played in that country for almost two decades. In the last few years, global cricket has returned to Pakistan but very few series have been played.
Then, the questions were raised on the readiness of stadia in time for the tourney as there were reports that the renovation works undertaken might not be completed in time for the championship. An unfortunate incident happened during the match between New Zealand and Pakistan where Rachin Ravindra misjudged the catch possibly due to the ball visibility issues which some Pakistani experts linked to the newly-installed lights. After that, the customary captain’s meet, which was scheduled to take place ahead of the tournament in Pakistan, was called off.
However, Championship Trophy is the first global cricket tournament to be held in Pakistan after almost three decades. Last major cricket championship played in Pakistan was the 1996 World Cup, where India and Sri Lanka were co-hosts.
India – the cricketing powerhouse – refused to play in Pakistan and ICC had to cede to its demand of playing matches outside Pakistan. So, it was changed to hybrid model and Dubai is the gainer and only India’s matches would be played there, including a semi-final and Final, if Indian team does make it.
Now, the dust has settled down and cricket action would begin with hosts locking horns with Kiwis at Karachi on February 19. However, the marquee clash would be the eagerly awaited Indo-Pak high-voltage match. It’s the match of arch-rivals India and Pakistan, which is always keenly contested and full of hype and excitement. India has excellent record against Pakistan in ICC events. However, Pakistan have slightly upper hand when it comes to Champions Trophy with three wins against two losses, with win in the 2017 finals being the most important triumph.
Pakistan are the defending champions. But their performance of late hasn’t been good. They have won a couple of series but their weakness is their batting. In the recently-concluded tri-series they lost to the Kiwis in the final. Having said that, one can’t write off Pakistan as they are the most-unpredictable team that can beat any team on their day, and at the same time lose to any opposition.
Aussies are a formidable bunch. The team which has lifted the ODI World Cup maximum times is a strong favourite. They are the kings of ODI cricket and the current world champs. They have a strong batting line-up but their bowling attack is badly hampered. All their leading bowlers namely Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood would be missing in action. Sri Lanka – who are not even featuring in the Champions Trophy – beat them convincingly in the last series. Would the new bowlers live up to expectations? We would have to wait and watch.
New Zealand, on the other hand, is always a formidable team especially in ICC events where they pick up early. More often than not, it is one of the teams to make it to top four. They usually falter at the business end of the tournaments and are yet to win limited-over World Cup. But they are a bunch of hard-hitting players. They played a tri-series in Pakistan and won it. They would have their eyes firmly on the Champions trophy.
Proteas, who narrowly lost to India in the T20 World Cup final, would be all pumped up and raring to go. Mind you, they are the winners of the inaugural edition and definitely a force to reckon with. They have an experienced side and have enough arsenals to be a champion side once again.
One team which has won both limited over world cups but is yet to lift Champions Trophy is England. They would be well aware of this record and would leave no stone unturned to win it. They do have a strong team. But the recent hammering they got in India would have put a dent in their aspirations.
And what can be said about our favourite team India? The reigning T20 Champs and 2023 ODI world cup runners-up. A team with great batting strength and good all-rounders. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have a point to prove and what better way it would be by winning the Champions Trophy like T20 world cup triumph! Nothing much is expected from the rest two teams namely Afghanistan and Bangladesh, but don’t be surprised if there are one or two upsets.
Going by the recent results in Pakistan, it appears that the pitches would be placid and the matches would be high scoring ones. Mostly the teams chasing targets would have the advantage. Not much is known about the pitches in Dubai. But the general viewpoint is that they might favour spinners slightly. In this competition, there is hardly any room for complacency as all matches are important. A lone loss might be enough to get relegated. It would surely be a cracker of a tournament. All teams are strong, they are talented but the team with hunger for success would definitely lift the Champions Trophy.
(The writer is a marketing professional and a cricket enthusiast)
